Chapter 48: Shape of Shadow
QoBJprWPerda returned to the dark room.SbR
ptR7aANot to sleep, but to continue the training technique.b5TKV
wLtNkThe mana technique called Shape of Shadow.qPRwGxN
rkGncrIf mages classified it by levels, it would be a high-difficulty technique.DiV5o
xmd9hBut Perda had already walked paths far harsher and more demanding.53Z2QBd
xjOFor him, this posed no problem.vQL
QPA3jThe only thing necessary was the movement of the circle.wn3M5C
qNEvfg9And finally, that circle began to move.3IQkZC
PUYB49f‘The amount is ridiculously insufficient.’x0YH
yoCNUbPerda also knew how to force it.QJoDx
GoxRoU3If he had done so, he would have reached the 5th circle at that very moment.xoV
WVo0I3mBut he didn’t.zKmi6
2RouOhHe knew how dangerous it was to be consumed by emotions.HxahMuQ
0Q06That was why he restrained that feeling while searching for an answer.qy4MB
7CaAnd finally, he found it.Qaa90B
A9zPerda closed his eyes.9VcKX
AcnKcEHe expanded the flow of mana and concentrated it throughout his entire body.LC1v
fPSt0Then, he slowly tilted it and poured it all out.Npw8
T1XHeqHis inner world was crushed against the ground.mq2wmX
9tEHis mind was projected into the world of shadows.1HukOdE
Q2Ld8The trembling shadow beneath the candlelight, moving with his breathing.cSTDpx
0Yhi9RThat shadow began to move on its own and slowly slid toward his body.QhulZs
ZHuwJThe rising shadow met the red circle in his dantian.t9CL
Y3z‘Valdrova.’7Wtr
IDHAhBPerda’s mind began to imagine her figure on its own.Fz7OeG
ji01lmGInside his head lived a mad painter.Ib1nG
CapF7exHe drew the same image over and over again, but never satisfied, he also destroyed it.7ZdscM
R51Thousands of times he drew, thousands of times he broke it.LWa
BGCHlSThat emptiness was not simple thirst.AWFOO
pax‘It was something I had wanted to understand ever since I reached the 3rd circle.’xst5DT
6YJA doubt that had disappeared when he stopped Valdrova’s rampage.c9FMG
FG35yBut in the end, Perda understood it.N1p
AoBOfYpIn the image of Valdrova he was drawing, there was an emptiness.Zfqj
vwY0In that emptiness were two syllables.A6wBa1
35s4‘Tomorrow.’oDY8Q
fXKKJPCAt that instant, the mad painter inside him began to move.u5Avn
s6DUnlike when he was dominated by anger, this time there was fervor.AU2FWN
dJySGJOn a wider canvas, he began to draw Valdrova without restraint.P0tL
yzz6a‘Her tomorrow.’TMqY8Nx
4BspvqvNot just any tomorrow.UWIWP
a0LAN‘A tomorrow in which I am there.’jQS6Ld
6WfZHe placed himself within that empty space.F8nUT
2UYKnThe image turned into a phrase.ScHG
DH6eGO‘I want to share tomorrow with her.’J6O
dWAAt the moment the sentence was completed, something astonishing happened.1x7Y
MZDThe superficial images came to life.2jr
sTxPerda recognized it.qmFAfN
Rc4‘Innocence.’du77H
iLFA dream of a weak child from a distant past.sU0T
8B0The vague figure of his companion was replaced by a beautiful woman with red hair and four horns.CNq
oYOwpBIt was a dream and at the same time, an ecstasy.dligRFM
ItbtSEcstasy is the peak point of emotion.HJASM
t1R0PKIt moves.Yot
qeCgThat growing feeling violently shook the circle.aT7Q
char1kXIf he left it like that, Perda would be destroyed.LpcaS3
7qKThat was why he focused.JKCmQ
JFipThat future together must not be an illusion, but reality.akSKR
aa3P1pPerda brought the sensation of the shape of the shadow toward the circle.Xykii3
CyEMAt that moment, dozens of hands emerged, gathering the turbulent mana and shaping it.AgL
FYbC9‘It’s easy.’fz7
U8UxiCxIt was incomparable to shaping it with a single hand.fHYtBnw
37cevEven forming circles 1 and 2 had been more difficult.2L33leK
A4XRsk‘Too easy.’rKYO0G
l4K9pq9By surrounding it from all sides, there was no escape.wYFBa7S
DDeThe rotation continued, the form was molded.WGV
lzvAnd so, it was coated with a new layer.E6lCP
mwOIYPerda reached the 4th circle.Z57t2MZ
jq4RKHe opened his eyes.xFqI9E7
ZKkHThe shadow twisted and soon took the shape of a hand.ARhECk
pR8pPIt was the 3rd-level spell, Shadow Hand.9DvleU
uz5It was not on another level.3AAbGA
pLPGRKvIt was not an artificial creation made with magic.CgS
K8gZpZIt was another limb hidden within Perda’s body.yr4CKu0
6Hvl17He adapted immediately.VpP2H
O9Xdv‘The shadow is me.’kqugFH
RTJThe hand split into more hands.nGeaK4
RtFThose hands split into more.vlETsIz
bMK7And so, they multiplied endlessly.aDZ1CC
bdDSThe small room filled with black hands.q8m
cFhr6‘And I am the shadow.’Im6H
Qtf9Jr7The candle could not withstand the dense darkness and went out.IszGSV
hHTQYO***Rw3V7uS
P9pGuild.P0Lpb
NvoqNHA guild is an organization that certifies the identity of its members and grants them benefits.rOx
6ExugcIn return, it demands responsibility for their actions, regulates them through rules, and requires unity for the common good.3xoZ0WO
80Ty5LWProtecting their interests through association is its essence.KpRty
L9Yg8DVBut the Human Magic Society of Serdes was different.oVRkjfn
QjZCMaMore than certifying, it monitored.myFVip
wTdMMore than benefiting, it controlled.3hnI8Ch
xUhlThat was the world in which the mages of the Serdes continent lived.UKFT2IF
06g4f32Its founder was Erdes Roton.GbbaP
bAdU4ZIn the dragon-demon war, she was one of the twelve heroes of the expedition who joined together to defeat the Demon King, and she is also the founder of the Human Magic Society.L98
z8kV99Even 150 years later, she is still alive and active.t6DmVm
Ky83fBsThe mage who has not let go of the title of the strongest of humanity up to the current generation.UZcAgqF
qHvzO32The embodiment of knowledge.iLI
uLfA living witness.MSbOkee
FMaShe possessed experience impossible to ignore, and yet she appeared younger than women in their prime.PLxYg
ZKBKR6“You have to attend to your administrative duties.”yFI
BdWC4“I don’t want to!!”J09
BA5VShe complained like a child.SVM
Q9q“I don’t want to work! Leave me alone!”lwef
wek3un“You’ve been piling up work for days. Look at this. There are so many documents you can’t even see your face anymore, boss.”TXxm7j
eR2“I put them there so I wouldn’t see your face. Let Blue do it.”eZH
CCWU“How am I supposed to do it? And my name is Lu.”YOooWZZ
NnNqFnu“It’s fine to fall behind a little. If it bothers you that much, tell him to come and say it to my face.”nGkeAm
Q2qIy“But you don’t even open the door.”004A1cp
YwE“Don’t I open it properly when I’m challenged to a duel?”mrFv
1bblM“Who in their right mind would fight the boss?”yqK9
Uk4bs5QShe was a heroine of the dragon-demon war and the strongest mage of humanity.ow68
LjL5In a world where the difference in circles reduces the chances of victory to nearly zero, there was no one who could defeat her in theory.nUO
SE9CF“That’s the problem. They all say they’re risking their lives, but when I say do you want to die? they answer I want to live! and run away. They’ve got no guts, no guts.”BazT7B7
pRXK“But you crippled someone who actually risked his life.”kXoyHB
wIv“Well, sometimes you overdo it with the force. But we reached a friendly agreement with the affected person, right?”KB8azd
IZVShe said it as if it were nothing.AFyLz5j
sed8okAll the assistant could do was sigh and hand her more documents.KC9J
Lcqrn“Here is the list of attendees for the Grand Council. Review it.”ONb1cu
JVeuEven if you don’t, it doesn’t matter.gIJ
YUBgLu muttered to himself.896eGAX
oG0OwDCWith a slight movement of her finger, the list flew into Erdes’s hand.5zHyTd
WThM4i9“There are many old men I know. At that age they should leave it to their children. How long do they plan to continue?”Qb3LIS
6NP8KG“That’s what I say.”2VoVBei
5z9WY0The assistant’s eyes fell on Erdes.GKZVn
lAk8A“Remove that look before I gouge your eyes out. Understood?”NEYQ
yud4NWhile reviewing the list, her gaze stopped at one point.bQX
s3RX“Is there a problem?”oEB
dGgJm“I thought I had seen wrong.”dDPM
mMRShe repeated that name several times.y1qs
UI0b“But no, I didn’t make a mistake. Blue, don’t you know how to do your job properly?”K7JRl
SH3Zl“Huh?”H6We0j
dlBeThe assistant was bewildered by the sudden insult.tL5
YXWQShe pointed at a name.liWm4B
7AyyM“Here it says this guy’s surname is Valdrova.”ASHOjqH
LqiadA“Ah, that’s correct. It’s the name of the red dragon Valdrova. It’s not an error on my part or the organizer’s.”JLKFuR
amY“Do you swear to me it’s not a lie?”FS9nqg
pOmEc“Yes. There are records.”yd0
IsAErdes shrugged, brushing it off.mWwG
Xm7D“How strange, that dangerous dragon… So, is he one of her spawn?”ZWrxG3
s7BN“Eh… didn’t you know?”7GA0EV
c2NlErdes smiled slightly.vZMLQtP
peIBut her face darkened.pcj1o6
IEdscH6“What is it that I don’t know? That I’m an ignorant idiot of the world? Or that today you might lose your head?”rXQP7
QKu1ab“N-no! I didn’t mean to disrespect you or mock you, this is simply—”E9PZJvs
Y8k“Get to the point.”Z8pREyE
MOqQt“Well… this time it’s about the fiancé of the red dragon Valdrova.”Skvq
sXMW“Fiancé?”iwnOy2w
azjNo matter how carefree she was, she understood what that meant.cqHy6
Q5ISU“Seriously?”RIy
8t5sF“Huh?”1xF59mM
Eamj3y9“I’m asking if it’s real.”5gH
3wRki“Uh… yes, it’s real.”2SLSE
a2XV“How curious. No one voluntarily goes to be executed… Bring me the file of that Perda.”W7PsJTP
MqHh4“Yes, one moment!”cyqpAB
2ETGzThe assistant placed both hands on his temples and cast a spell.phORF
TlT8YC“Search, Perda Valdrova.”XkCnOU
qyALkTAt that instant, piles of papers slid through the gap under the door and stacked up in front of him.Cd0wl
HyLiAfter completing the spell, he handed them to Erdes.xiGb0
QzZZ9“H-here they are.”CdpquK
uTBYwtHer eyes quickly scanned the documents.WfJ
FKalK6“Let’s see… third son of the Rosnova family… hm…”WKhr
WQ7d4wHer gaze became calmer.mMvzx
2UbVxoqAs she progressed, her expression turned serious.BmfEl
8zMBw1“Blue.”UXf
d0f“Yes.”l3Bije
VtG“When is the Grand Council?”GOFzs7
FvruOuLu’s eyes widened.lVo
VMW“In five days. Are you going to attend?”ZBlNu
GiDD26w“I was going to skip it, it seemed boring… but it might not be a bad idea to go.”XHY
WkK4Erdes stared fixedly at Perda’s portrait.E6rMT
x572yH“Besides, you don’t see a face that stupidly attractive every day.”0J3PC9i
kbqnt“What matters is his presence, don’t you think? It might be late, but we should prepare the carriage—”DZ3a
b1cD7A8“That won’t be necessary.”un897
FnNErdes rotated her finger in the air.Gpe4
EBHrA circular portal appeared following the motion.8g2e
Nqaq1e3“If there’s an easy way, why complicate things?”Nvf36
C5tSNPL5th-level Teleport Door.OxDek
umEzwpA complex spell that she executed without chants or a magic circle.AYOz8i
wNtjA spectacle that a mage might never witness in their lifetime.YGB
tIwBut for Lu, more than impressive, it was unsettling.IfvS34w
fMK“Lu, I’m going to take care of some matters.”lKUWRTm
2snJ8w“Huh?”ZONIagE
aKZX“Handle everything properly while I’m gone. And don’t forget to feed the cats!”bx4D
B884KG“Boss, wait!”EhZ
TC1zk5“I’ll be back!”y2s
wJL49bShe waved her hand casually and jumped into the portal.HMGYz5
dTX“If you were going to use a portal, you could have finished the piled-up work before leavinggggg!”7OxdVSr
ftIlh2Lu’s shout lingered in the air as the portal closed.P6E
D2kTr***dbpNN
iFq10 days before the Grand Council, Perda finished preparing to depart for the central region of the continent.WCs
ZPNTvtYTo reach the territory of Blancaros, he had to leave at that moment.RHxkd4
vFdPF7‘Customs are useless.’EhgL
AkRHNThe higher the status, the more things one must possess.gHswaG
NXlVAmong them is time, and taking things slowly is considered a noble virtue.X46KD8I
dxOXFor Perda, who had lived the future, that was ridiculous.C703b
W7cWhen magic vehicles began to become widespread, that relaxed culture disappeared.65VyRBt
VBJRather, nobles began to seek faster means of transportation.DkX6Q
Qo4C“Regent, may I come in?”FuKln
buwVIt wasn’t Ruri, but Zed.RXGK
cv2He wore the red uniform typical of the vassals of the territory of the Grand Duchess Valdrova.sK1
46LZ0e“The knight Arwen and his soldiers sent by Count Consilus have just arrived.”hIPSA
tgOC“I see.”M1B
PsK4z“Our carriage is also ready, we’re just waiting for you to board… hm?”cesf
WeBZrbyZed looked over Perda’s body, puzzled.GSS0
zVhnKci“Is there a problem?”2TP
yF9X“Not exactly, I was just wondering if you’re going dressed like that…”qa52b
WbJefPerda’s clothing was extremely simple.cpt
l5iF1udNobles always tried to stand out.d4QUo
SVt26They used threads of jewels and gold to shine.Onb3mM
EeoAGold thread was almost mandatory.T475Ke
DGExCWhen he went to the imperial palace, Perda wore red with golden embroidery.oSJlmQq
sk3iBut now he wore black with red, without excessive shine.7VenxF
IezEtCompared to other nobles, he was too understated.OmK
yvJW“I don’t like gold.”OY6wPgW
dONE“Who in the world hates gold?”dEO
ofc6Zed reacted incredulously. Then he evaluated his outfit.G9CH
k76“Without it, you’ll look just like me.”41uFv
P1DB“Perfect. That lowers the chances of some ignorant assassin targeting me.”QFUQ
lYZHZf“With that face, I doubt they’d mistake me for you.”heBY
T2HSnZed smiled narcissistically.n3s
oYfPerda ignored him and took something from the table.JxDF
wxXH“Here.”0k31T
e70JJust as Zed was about to approach, something surprising happened.1wJ
rAMFSss—qh0JlQ
Ee56A shadow came out of Perda’s hand, took the object, and brought it to him.uG8
ruBZed was surprised, but tried not to show it.nUhp
6e8kx“What is this?”rFQ
u4u“What was promised.”bpI0S
I1bgZed checked the contents.3Xv9I
1X5RUiQ“Perda Valdrova, consort of the Grand Duchess Valdrova and regent, in the name of the great fire dragon Valdrova, grants Zed Swallow the title of sword of the kingdom and shield of the people…”APiM
UJ7rRyOHe didn’t need to read the whole thing.i1Ots
Q0y“A knighthood appointment?”fE5j3Pu
NiY9JAZed raised his head, surprised.4vPTR4r
aqn“…Is this real?”njUdW
3tl2“Do you think it’s fake? Wasn’t that what we agreed on?”AJZe
ABd“Yes, but I didn’t expect it to be so soon…”UUe0rZX
nLZZpekBecoming a knight was the first step toward nobility.EANc
apWYtIt usually required lineage or great achievements.XTtI
RfQZ“Can I really accept this now?”bmkejs
S9s5“There’s no problem. Your abilities were proven in the imperial warehouse.”IZTR
hXIB“That’s not what I mean…”BJp08
e2ambUZed waved his hands.Jv3lmd
nf6x5jN“Shouldn’t there be a big ceremony? Women, music, alcohol…”7WBgGU
j48Perda stared at him.QRM
8O9dP9nHe considered taking it back.oJCIj7
EuAT“Focus on your mission, Knight Zed.”iuLM3J
AX0qk“Tch… understood, regent.”N8PYX
dnGMy party…zvJ
njxMuttering, he withdrew.7yf
CI8ItFg“I should prepare as well.”7WKd2l
ZawTghqNormally Ruri would help him, but it was no longer necessary.jUXA2R
iBZ1UoXSss—njPP
GIR8hFrom his sleeves and chest, a black mist emerged.m1zZ
KPvJz8It transformed into eight hands that began to assist him.DidDn
rHc8VThey buttoned his clothes, adjusted his outfit, leaving it almost perfect.ZLOs
YA8j‘Reaching the fourth circle was definitely worth it.’NO3duq2
AxBAlthough they were still clumsy, those hands were extensions of his body.aWu
Xo5qnWith practice, they could even cast magic.eHrcpF
Hpf‘I still have talent.’pInd
vMpThe only thing missing was experience.VQLtN
C6K“Shall we go?”qcn3q
IMBJThe sound of his footsteps echoed through the hallway.lRjFN92
qaUR30vWhen he reached the inner gate, many soldiers had gathered.J0tQm
q5Q“Formation!”6pcQju1
ymSArwen Wolfheart’s voice echoed.7TabWjS
aPaThe soldiers knelt in unison.ClR3z
bWMKtKi“Arwen Wolfheart, commanding 30 men, reporting for escort duty.”lvOzj
A0L“At your orders!”VQmxf
Sw9kZPerda observed them one by one and nodded.oCVgICe
BelN“Good work.”SYc
jjWw“Yes! To positions!”UJrofo7
qLqArwen mounted his horse.RVt
R44The soldiers formed the escort.yg3d
Z5N5FAt his side, Zed also mounted.9flm3a
FXejNpHe had only been a knight for a day, but he had presence.rCui
BZBPerda directed his gaze to the carriage.U2YA
EeNA2A red carriage awaited him, along with Ruri.EGV1Q
yv4EWith her usual expression, she held the door.19Saf
4G8“Get in.”gO4DN
gVP“Alright.”BYnI8K
dW0WpyvJust as he was about to board, Perda felt a gaze.AZddX
9iqvJ1He turned slightly.ZPz728c
jxC4The castle balcony.Ky54jgu
BOw8FNo one was there.7ulBEM
R5awI3jOf course.bsf
AkcWhat had he been expecting?0ciyc
9zIqz“Perda?”LWs
UZMbDD“Let’s go.”Pd4W
XKJHe boarded the carriage.D10n9
oZoda53The ten-day journey passed in an instant.fsM5Vvy
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Haimiya_cutie.
Body IntegrationShe was there on the balcony.